


Yours Truly

by WritingSiren



Category: Rick and Morty
Genre: Alternate Timelines, Alternate Universe - College/University, Closeted Character, F/M, Friends to Lovers, Love Triangles, M/M, Slow Burn, i'll be adding more as the story goes on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-10-21
Updated: 2018-11-09
Packaged: 2019-08-05 09:43:22
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 5,123
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16365491
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WritingSiren/pseuds/WritingSiren
Summary: Gary's college life was pretty awesome, but he always felt like something was missing...Jerry, the shy nervous wreck, never had many friends...What happens when these two meet for the first time?--This is my first multi-chapter fanfic in this fandom! It's a sort of "What could have been" story. It's pretty experimental as well; an exercise.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> OKAY SO, it's been years since I've written a multi-chapter fic. So for this story, I wanted to give it another shot.
> 
> This story takes place in the early 2000s (2001 to be exact). Me being born in the 90s, I was obviously not an adult at that time, so please forgive my inaccuracies.
> 
> This story also starts off pretty slow. I just want to take time to introduce the characters.
> 
> With all that being said, though, I hope you enjoy!

Jerry stepped foot onto the campus, still as nervous as he was freshman year. He gripped his schedule like a vice in his hands as he shuffled to his first class: Biology. He was worried if anyone could see the redness in his cheeks as he walked past them. He got surprisingly good grades last school year, and he hoped and prayed to any deity that he could keep them up.

And it wasn't like he had any excuse to not keep them up. He was very... Introverted, to say the least. He had more than enough time to work on his assignments, so much time that he even turned in his work early on a few occasions. But if he were to be completely honest with himself, Jerry didn't really like all the free time he had. Well, he did, but he'd rather spend it with friends... Something he didn't really have.

With only two minutes left to get to class, he found it finally. He tried to ignore the butterflies in his stomach as he sat down in the second row near the window. He didn't make eye contact with anyone. At least he had some time to settle down and take out his notebook and pen.

"Hey, you okay, dude?" One student asked him as he sat down, leaving a seat in between them. "I have a water bottle if you need it."

Jerry looked at him and gave a lopsided grin. "Oh, uh, no thanks, I'm okay."

 _'Sheesh, guess I look worse than I thought...'_ , he thought to himself.

Once 8:00am hit, the teacher closed the door to the classroom. "Good morning, everyone," she announced. "We'll start off by taking role." She made her way over to her desk and grabbed her clipboard, starting to call out names.

  
\--

  
The content of the class was relatively easy for the first day, mainly just note-taking and discussing what the year would be like. At 10:00am, class was dismissed, and Jerry searched for Math class next. He once again had his head buried in his schedule, coupled with a map of the campus. It wasn't a huge school, but there were definitely a lot of similar classrooms and hallways.

As Jerry scuttled through the doors of the second floor, he barely had a chance to look up before he bumped into someone's backpack, the force of impact sending him to fall flat on his ass.

The stranger gasped, almost dropping their coffee, and turned around. "Oh shit, dude," he offered him a hand. "You alright?"

He began to apologize as he gathered his now crumpled papers. "Oh god, I'm so sorry..."

Jerry stared at him for a moment: He was tall with dark brown hair (almost like his), wearing a blue Letterman jacket, jeans, and white shoes. He took his hand and stood up. Jerry was a little less than four inches shorter than him. "Yeah, I'm fine..." He looked up at him. "Thanks."

The other male gazed back at him, but quickly snapped out of it. "You still have five minutes before class, no need to rush!" He teased with a laugh. "Name's Gary."

"Jerry..." The shorter man said with a nod. "Uh, S-Smith, Jerry Smith."

Gary laughed again and sipped his coffee. "Jerry..." He repeated. "So where are you headed?"

Jerry looked at his schedule again. "Uh, Ms... Guterman?"

"Oh, me too!" Gary smiled. "I'll show you where she is."

Jerry nodded and followed behind him, making sure to keep his distance this time. Once they arrived, a guy around Gary's height greeted him. "Hey, if it isn't Sleepy Gary! What's up?"

"Oh, hey, Thomas!" Gary made his way over to him and gave him a bro hug.

 _'Sleepy Gary?'_ Jerry raised an eyebrow. He debated on whether or not he should sit with Gary and his friend or just sit by himself again.

Thomas noticed Jerry awkwardly standing behind him. "Who's your friend?"

"Oh, this is Jerry," he stepped aside to introduce the two. Jerry cleared his throat and waved. "H-Hi..."

Thomas laughed. "Is he the new water boy or something?"

"No no. We kind of _ran into each other_ in the hallway." Gary goaded as he sat down next to his friend.

Jerry sat on the opposite side of him and just listened to their conversation while he took out his notebook and pen again. He felt like he already made a fool of himself.

"Jerry?" Gary asked.

"Huh?" Jerry looked up from his notebook.

"I said what year are you in?" He asked. "I don't think I saw you last year..."

"Oh, I'm a sophomore. I... I was here last year too..." He answered.

"Oh. Well, what's your major?" Gary rested his chin in his hand.

"Civics." He replied. "What about you?"

"Psychology, but I'm not really into it." He shrugged. "Don't get me wrong, I do really good in it, but football is what I really like."

Jerry perked up. "Oh, you're on the team?"

"Yeah, running back!" Gary said proudly. "It's been my dream to go pro."

The two of them chatted until class started, with Thomas going off to catch up with other friends. Gary didn't think that talking about football of all things would be the key to get Jerry to open up to him. Anyone who loved football as much as he did already had a win in his book. And Gary had to admit, it was cute seeing him talk with such enthusiasm, rather than the shy persona he presented since their meeting.

  
\--

  
Soon, noon came, and practically every student piled into the cafeteria. Gary and Jerry did the same. While they were in line, Jerry spoke up. "So, how come your friend called you 'Sleepy Gary'?"

Gary chuckled as he grabbed a sandwich wrapped in paper. "Well, I don't know if you noticed, but I drink a _lot_ of coffee. I have trouble staying awake, regardless of how much sleep I get the night before."

Jerry used a pair of tongs to grab a slice of pizza. "Oh. You're not offended when you get called that?"

"Not really. They're my buddies, we joke around all the time." Gary said. "There's way more I could be offended about..."

Jerry laughed, grabbing Gary and himself bottles of water. They sat right in the middle of the cafeteria (Gary's choice, of course). Usually, Jerry would sit outside by himself, away from prying eyes. It made him a little anxious.

"So Jerry, you do anything after school? Like clubs or sports?" Gary asked, unwrapping his sandwich and taking a bite.

"I was in poetry club last year, but looking at my classes this year, I couldn't really manage." Jerry explained, handing Gary a water bottle.

"Hm. Well, football practice doesn't start until next week for me." He looked at Jerry, his heart skipping a beat. "Maybe we could hang out sometime this week? Maybe Sunday?"

"Sure!" Jerry said too quickly. He regained his composure, "I mean, uh, yeah, cool."

Gary chuckled. "Now I have someone to join me on my daily coffee run. The place I go to has other drinks if you don't like coffee, though."

Jerry tried to hide his excitement. Did he... Actually have a friend? He had a few acquaintances, sure, but none of them actually asked him to hang outside of school before. He didn't think he made a very good first impression on Gary, but he guessed he was wrong. He hoped he wouldn't mess it up.

As lunch went on, more of Gary's teammates came to greet him and catch up. Jerry thought he should try and get to know them too. He started talking about his favorite football team and his favorite players. He felt strangely confident since he met Gary, for some reason...

"Are you serious? Jackson wouldn't stand a chance against him!" A guy named Nick told him.

"He might..." Jerry replied with a shrug. "Have you seen him run?"

"You know, you're pretty cool, Jerry. I've never seen you around campus before." Nick said.

"Yeah, I don't really know that many people..." Jerry said sheepishly, rubbing the back of his neck.

"You should hang out with Gary and the rest of us sometime!" Another guy said.

"Uh, sure, awesome!" Jerry said with a smile.

After lunch, the cafeteria slowly started to empty. Jerry said goodbye to Gary's and his (new) friends, leaving the two of them alone again.

"Sorry if the guys are a little abrasive. That's just how they act." Gary told him as they walked out of the cafeteria.

"Oh, no no, it's fine, they're pretty cool!" Jerry assured. "It's... Actually nice meeting new people."

Gary grinned. "So, what's your next class?"

"Uh, Civics. What about yours?" Jerry asked.

"Psychology. Do we have any other classes together?"

Jerry pulled out the worn schedule from his backpack and skimmed it. "Not unless you have Social Studies, Creative Writing, or Economics?"

Gary frowned and shook his head. "I don't have any of those classes."

Jerry mirrored his expression, but he looked up at him, hopefully. "We still have Math. A-And we can hang out at lunch. And on the weekends."

"That's true." Gary scanned all the numbers above the doors and found the one he was looking for. "Well, my class is over there," he pointed. "Guess I'll see you soon?"

Jerry nodded. "Yeah, of course."

Gary flashed a friendly smile. "Cool. See ya."

Jerry waved at him, then headed to his third class.

  
\--

  
The rest of the day went by pretty uneventfully. Really, all of his classes just went over the curriculum for the year. Jerry ended up eating dinner in his dorm alone. He had a great first day, but he didn't want to come off as desperate by meeting up with Gary every chance he got. And if he were honest with himself, Gary's friends didn't actually like him... Did they? He was so awkward and dorky... It didn't seem true. And what if Gary was only being nice to him because he felt sorry for him?

Jerry finished his cup of ramen and threw it in the trash next to his mini fridge. He got up from his bed to take a shower, brush his teeth, and go to bed. As he settled in, he glanced at the clock on his bedside table: 8:23pm. It was too early to go to sleep, but he had nothing else to do. He closed his eyes and gave a deep sigh. He'd have to wait and see until Sunday.


	2. Chapter 2

When Sunday morning came around, Jerry was fast asleep. He didn't even hear his roommate leave to go to breakfast. It turned out he was wrong about having no homework on the first week of school. His Creative Writing teacher already wanted them to write a short story, complete with character biographies. He was already halfway finished with it, but he wasn't proud of it. But luckily, the rest of his classes hadn't given him anything yet.

It turned out that he was wrong about Gary, too. The guy genuinely appreciated his presence, as well as his friends. He and Gary even exchanged numbers. But even though Jerry was opening up to them more, he still felt awkward around them.

And speaking of the devil, Jerry's cell phone rang on his bedside table, startling him awake. He reached over and answered it. "Hello?"

"Hey, Jerry! Still wanna come with me to get coffee?" Gary's voice came through the speaker.

Jerry shot straight up in his bed, eyes wide. "Oh, yeah! Wh-Where are you?"

"I'll be sitting outside, behind the school in the parking lot." He replied.

"Oh, okay, I'll be down there soon!" Jerry said and hung up.

 _'Oh my god, I completely forgot!'_ , Jerry's thoughts were frantic as he dressed himself as quickly as possible. He threw on a white long-sleeved shirt, dark green sweater vest, brown pants, and black shoes. He hastily brushed his teeth and headed out with his phone and wallet.

  
\--

  
Gary sat on a bench in the parking lot, looking around for Jerry... He saw someone quickly coming down the stairs, and stood when he realized it was his new friend.

Gary waved him over. "Over here, Jerry!"

Jerry looked his way and went over to him. "Sorry to keep you waiting."

 _'He looks really handsome...'_ , Gary thought. But he realized it and pushed it to the back of his mind. "It's fine. We can take my car."

Jerry nodded. "Okay!" He followed him to his car and...

It was a blue 2001 Saturn SC2, much nicer than Jerry's car, which was a few years older. _'His car is even cooler than mine...'_

Gary unlocked the doors and got in. "Well?"

Jerry shook his head and and sat in the passengers seat, giving him a grin. "N-Nothing."

Gary shrugged. "Let's go!"

  
\--

  
The two men arrived at the coffee shop ten minutes later. As they entered, Jerry looked around: The warm, low lighting, the scent of freshly ground coffee brewing, and the dull sound of people chatting with one another. It was a stark contrast to the stressful environment he was used to.

Gary stepped up to the counter, and the barista greeted him. "Hey, Gary! The usual?"

Gary nodded. "You got it, Vance!" He looked over his shoulder at Jerry. " What are you thinking of getting?"

Jerry stared at the menu above the counter. What the hell is a 'Pumpkin Marshmallow Latte?'

"I'll just have water." Jerry said. "And a croissant."

The barista wrote down their orders and rung it up. Jerry took out his wallet, but Gary had already paid. "You're my guest after all."

"I'll have your stuff out in about five minutes." Vance said, and he went to go work on their orders.

Gary took a seat in a booth by the window, and Jerry sat across from him.

"Um..." Jerry started, averting his eyes to look out the window. "Thanks for paying for me..." he started to blush. "A-And for... Hanging out with me..."

"Oh, no problem." Gary leaned back. He took note of the redness on Jerry's face. "I like hanging out with you."

Jerry looked at him, eyes wide. "You do?"

Gary leaned forward. "Well _duh_ , I wouldn't have asked you to come with me if I didn't..."

Jerry smiled. "I just asked because, you know, I'm so awkward and quiet and you're not and I thought you were just being nice because I ran into you on accident but then I thought..." He glanced back at Gary, and sighed. "I'm sorry... Sometimes I go on tangents..."

Gary chuckled. "Being quiet isn't always a bad thing. Everyone likes a good listener."

"Yeah, but I wish I could be more confident... Talk to more people..." Jerry looked down at his hands in his lap.

"You started talking to me. What's stopping you from talking to other people?"

Jerry looked up again. He never noticed Gary's grey eyes or the light dusting of freckles on his face... _'He's... Really good-looking--'_

"So, I have a bottle of water and a croissant for you..." Vance came over to their table and set down their orders. "And a caffè latte for you."

"Thanks, Vance." Gary said.

Vance winked at him and left them alone again. Gary sipped his coffee and sighed. "Ahh~"

Jerry chewed on his croissant, deep in thought. Did he really just think Gary was good-looking? He meant it in a friendly way, of course. How weird is it to tell a guy he's good-looking but not mean it in a romantic way?

"You went quiet on me again," Gary commented. "You okay?"

"Yeah, I'm just... Thinking about school, I guess..." Jerry mumbled. "Are you excited to start practice tomorrow?"

"Yeah I am!" Gary answered, sipping more of his drink. "I've been practicing all summer, but it's just something about getting to play competitively again that makes me excited, ya know?"

Jerry nodded. "I never really played sports in high school... Or middle school... I've always been interested, but never tried out for any of them..."

"Why not?"

"I guess I was just... Too afraid..." Jerry shrugged. "I didn't want to be told I wasn't good enough... So I just watched everyone else play."

Gary frowned. "You can still try. I mean, it's a little too late for football, but I'm sure the other sports might have spots left."

Jerry shook his head. "Ah, I don't think it would work out... That's in the past now..."

"You'll never know if you don't try~" Gary said in a sing-song voice.

  
\--

  
Once the pair arrived back at the school, Gary parked back in the same spot.

"Well that was fun. Thanks for coming with me, Jerry." Gary said as he turned off the car.

"Yeah, no problem! Maybe we could--" Jerry was cut off by his phone ringing. He pulled it out and looked at the number. His eyes widened. "Oh man, I gotta run. I'm supposed to meet one of my classmates to work on our Creative Writing assignment."

"Go ahead!" Gary insisted with a smile.

"Agh, I'm sorry..." Jerry unbuckled his seatbelt and got out. "I'll see you in class tomorrow!" And with that, he hurried off.

Gary chuckled at him and sighed, watching him leave.


	3. Chapter 3

As the months went on, the Fall semester ended, and Winter came. Gary and Jerry became good friends, you might even say best friends. They hung out every other weekend, whether that be going on a coffee run or doing some exercise out on the field. And for the first time in his life, Jerry really felt like he had a true friend.

Gary, on the other hand, was feeling... _feelings_  for Jerry... Not in a friendly way, either. He started crushing _hard on_  him. Gary didn't really believe in love at first sight, but there was just... Something about Jerry that made him fall head over heels. He hadn't felt this way about anyone in a long time.

He couldn't tell him that, though. Gary had no idea if Jerry even felt the same way about him. Probably not... Jerry was straight, wasn't he? He didn't want to risk ruining their friendship, or get rejected once again. He tried _so_  hard to bury his feelings deep down, but they'd always find a way to come back up. Whenever Jerry would smile, or laugh, or talk to him, it sent his heart racing.

But if Jerry were a girl, and if Gary were straight, he'd _totally_  ask "her" out. Totally.

Gary lied in the bed in Thomas's grandmother's house in the guest room, letting out a long sigh. Winter break had started a few days ago. Thomas's grandmother had let him stay there last year and the year before, since Gary had nowhere else to go. She was such a sweet old lady, and treated him as if he were another one of her grandsons. He was grateful to say the least, even though he felt like a burden.

The smell of something sweet, along with the scent of bacon and eggs drifted in the air, making his stomach rumble. He got up and yawned, wanting to sleep just a little bit longer. It was freezing outside so he put on his slippers and his robe, heading out into the dining room.

"Oh, good morning, Gary!" Ms. Robinson said softly. "How are you this morning?"

"Good morning. I'm fine, how are you?" Gary asked, taking a seat.

"I'm fine, dear." She replied. "I haven't seen Thomas this morning yet. He likes to sleep in."

Gary laughed quietly. "Yeah. I don't blame him." He looked up at her. "Oh, do you need any help?"

"Oh no, dear, I'm alright. But thank you." Ms. Robinson fixed herself and Gary a plate and set them down on the table, then poured herself a glass of orange juice. "Would you like coffee?"

"Yes, please." Gary said.

Ms. Robinson set the mug of coffee next to his plate and set hers down as well, and sat in the chair across from him.

"Thank you. This looks delicious!" Gary started cutting into his french toast.

She gave him a soft smile. "So, how have you been? Are you sleeping better these days?"

"Kind of." Gary said, stuffing the sweet toast into his mouth. "Having trouble staying awake is the real issue."

"Oh, I'm sorry." Ms. Robinson frowned. "You still use that machine though, don't you?"

"The CPAP machine? Unfortunately." Gary sipped his coffee. "Not allowed to take medication."

"Well as long as it's helping you that's all that matters, right?" Ms. Robinson smiled.

"You're right." He smiled back.

They ate in silence for a few moments. His mind started to slowly drift to Jerry... What was he doing right now?

"So, has a handsome young man like you met anyone special yet? Like a pretty young lady?" Ms. Robinson teased.

Gary almost choked on his bacon. "Oh, um..." He pondered for a second. "I have, actually."

Ms. Robinson giggled. "What's her name?"

_'Jessica, Juliet, Janet...'_  "Jenny," he replied.

"Oh, such a pretty name!" Ms. Robinson said. "How did you two meet?"

"Well, she was lost on her way to class, so I showed her where it was. Turns out we have Math class together." Gary said, internally cringing at using female pronouns. "She's quiet, and kind of shy, but... That's what I like about her. But I don't know if she likes me back..."

"Aw, don't be shy. Just ask her. She'll be flattered a man like you fell for her." Ms. Robinson sipped on her orange juice.

"We're pretty different, but we do have some things in common." Gary said. "You really think I'd have a chance?"

"Of course! She'd be crazy to turn you down." She laughed. "Does Thomas know?"

Gary blushed. "Uh, n-no--"

Ms. Robinson laughed. "Oh, don't worry, dear. Your secret is safe with me," she said with a wink, pretending to zip her mouth shut.

Gary laughed nervously in reply. Thomas came downstairs soon after. "Hey, Gary. Hi, grandma."

"Good morning, Thom," Ms. Robinson turned around in her seat. "I just made breakfast."

"Oh, nice!" The man said happily. He started making himself a plate. "So, what are we talking about?"

Gary stayed silent and looked at a scratch in the wooden table. Ms. Robinson saw his expression and decided to speak up. "Gary was just telling me about the last big game you guys had."

"Oh, yeah, it was awesome!" Thomas sat down at the table. "We played against Ohio. Well, 'play' is a bit of an understatement. It was way too easy."

"Oh yeah," Gary stood from the table, grabbing his dishes and heading to the sink. "They didn't stand a chance against us. The team we really gotta look out for in the Spring is Massachusetts." He turned on the water and started washing them.

"Oh yeah, Massachusetts..." Thomas mumbled, chewing on his scrambled eggs. "We've never beaten them..."

"I bet we can next year, though." Gary said, drying off the dishes now. "Thank you for breakfast, Ms. Robinson."

"Oh, it's no problem, dear. It's nice having you around." Ms. Robinson said sweetly.

Gary headed back to the guest room to get dressed. Even though he wasn't planning on doing anything today (or really, for the next couple weeks), he wasn't going to lounge around in his pajamas all day. If this were his house, he would definitely do it, but he wanted to be respectful.

Once he changed, Gary went into the bathroom to clean his CPAP tubing. He turned on the water in the sink and waited for it to heat up, sitting down on the lid of the toilet.

Gary yawned and rubbed his eyes with one hand while he ran his fingers through the water with the other. He felt his eyelids getting heavy...

A loud melodic beeping came from his pocket, and he was jolted back awake. He pulled out his phone and stared at the caller ID: Jerry. Gary sat up straight and answered. "Hello?"

"Hey, Gary. How are you?" Jerry asked.

"Oh, hey, I'm fine--ow!" Gary pulled his hand back from the now hot water.

"What happened?" Jerry asked, worried.

"Oh, nothing, I just... Stubbed my toe." He lied. He wedged his phone between his ear and the crook of his shoulder and started washing his tubes.

"What's that noise in the background? It sounds like water..."

"Oh, I'm washing my hands..."

"Um... Okay." Jerry said quietly. He was feeling a little suspicious of Gary's behavior, but it could've just been that it was still early in the morning. "Have you been watching the game lately?"

"Which one?" Gary asked. He shut off the water and hung the tubes up on the rod of the shower to dry.

"Seattle vs. Huston."

"Oh, yeah! Did you see McAllister score that touchdown?" Gary sat back down on the toilet lid, engrossed in the conversation.

"Yeah! I didn't think he'd make it at all!"

It was about twenty minutes later when Jerry had to hang up. "Oh, I gotta go. Gotta help my parents hang up Christmas decorations."

"Alright. I'll talk to you soon!" Gary said, and hung up. He hadn't really realized he was still in the bathroom the whole time. Time almost seemed to stop when he was with Jerry, or in this case, talking to him. He got up and carried the machine back to his room.

He set it down on the floor next to his bed and glared at it. He _hated_  that thing... He had to clean it constantly, it was loud, and he felt silly wearing it at night. He was only 20 years old, he was supposed to be young and healthy. He shouldn't have to use this... Contraption... Why couldn't he just tell Jerry about it? He was sure he wouldn't make fun of him...

Gary sat down on the bed and yawned again. It was going to be a long Winter break...

  
\--

  
Soon, Christmas day was here. The snow falling gently, creating a beautiful white sheet on the ground. Rows and rows of houses lit up with lights and little knick knacks out in the yard. Candy canes, reindeers, gingerbread men, you name it. Bits and pieces of Christmas carols playing inside the cars that would pass on the street that would make anyone want to burst into song. Even the air felt festive and full of Christmas cheer. So many children waking up and running into their parents' bedrooms to beg them to open up their long awaited presents. It certainly was the perfect time of year to celebrate with loved ones.

Too bad Gary hated Christmas.

And Thomas and his grandmother were Jewish.

Gary sat in front of the window in the living room after breakfast, staring at all the cars zooming past. He sipped his mug of coffee and sighed and pressed his cheek to the icy glass. This was the only day out of the entire year that Gary just wanted to be alone. Thomas and his grandmother knew this, so they made a silent agreement not to bother him.

The young man fiddled with a string on the hem of the sweater he wore. His own grandmother knitted it for him. Even though it had little black reindeers and white snowflakes all over it, it was the only thing that reminded him of home.

He wanted to call his grandparents so badly... But they were always busy. Gary just accepted that as them not having time for him anymore. But he understood; they were business owners after all. He knew they cared for him and loved him, but he didn't want to get in their way.

A single tear rolled down his cheek. _'Dammit, stop crying! Do you have to do this every single year?'_ , he told himself. But he couldn't help it. Soon another tear came, then another, and another. He angrily wiped at his face, though that did nothing. He kept his jaw clenched and sniffled.

Gary sat at the window for what seemed like hours. His coffee had gone cold, and he had fallen asleep right then and there. It could've been night time already and he wouldn't have cared.

And, as if it were an alarm clock, his phone went off. He nearly dropped the mug on the floor at the sudden shock. He didn't even look at the caller ID this time before answering, "Hello?" he said weakly.

"Hi Gary! Merry Christmas!" Came Jerry's voice through the phone. Those words cut into him like a knife.

Gary swallowed hard around the lump in his throat. He didn't realize how dry his mouth was. "Hey..." --he paused to cough-- "Thanks."

"You don't sound so good. You okay?" Jerry asked.

"I'm fine. Just... A little under the weather..." Gary said hoarsely. It wasn't a _complete_  lie.

"Oh... I'll let you go then. You sound like you need to rest."

"No no, I can talk..." Gary shifted to sit up, peeling his cheek off of the window. "What have you been up to?"

"Well, we opened presents early this morning... Oh! And I didn't tell you that my older brother Steve and his wife came to visit too. I'm an uncle now!" Jerry said happily. Gary was almost jealous just hearing the other man radiate such cheerfulness.

"That's awesome, Jer." Gary replied, trying to sound happy as well.

Jerry's end was silent for a second, but then he spoke. "So um... I was talking with my roommate earlier this afternoon..."

Gary glanced at the clock on the wall: 3:30pm. How long was he out? "Yeah?"

"There's gonna be a New Year's Eve party somewhere in town... He wrote down the address but I misplaced it. If you wanna go, I'll go too."

Gary smiled for the first time that day. "Sure. Can Thomas come too?"

"Yeah! Anyone can come."

"Cool. We'll see you there then. Don't forget to give me the address."

"O-Okay! I hope you feel better soon."

"Thanks."

When Jerry hung up, Gary finally got up from his sitting/sleeping position to put away his coffee mug. He winced from being so stiff, but he stretched anyway. He headed to the kitchen sink and washed out the cup.

Lately, it seemed that Jerry was being really nice to him... And not just friendly-nice, either. Did he... _Like_   Gary in the same way Gary liked him? No, that couldn't be true...

Gary put the clean mug back in the cupboard and headed to the bathroom. That dry feeling in his mouth _really_  gave him the urge to brush his teeth...


End file.
